


Just One Heartbeat

by GrandNinjaMasterRen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cal Trains Younglings, Character Study, Found Family, Gen, Mentor Saw Guerra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22811806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandNinjaMasterRen/pseuds/GrandNinjaMasterRen
Summary: A heartbeat, a second and it’s gone, but its influence lingers onwards.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	1. When They Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saw Guerra reflects upon the half-wild teenager that falls out of the sky.

When Saw first saw Cal, his heart nearly stops. The kid had hijacked an AT-AT, a brilliant plan, but a stupid one. 

** A jedi.  **

But Cal is no Anakin Skywalker, he listens to Saw’s plan, even as his droid shows a map of the refinery. He has potential, Saw can see that much. The kid could be a rallying point for those who stood by the jedi. 

** A kid. **

Saw extends an offer. ‘Come with me’ he says, only in not the same words. He can see the temptation in the teen’s eyes, even as Cal turns his offer down. 

** Past and Future. **

A handshake, and Saw leaves him with a standing invitation to join. A smile for an answer, and Saw knows he hasn’t seen the last of this kid.

**He will be great.**


	2. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal has a habit of collecting strays.

** The first was the one from nowhere. **

Cal walked through the market, making sure his poncho covered his lightsaber. A sniffling sob caught his attention. A young girl, maybe five or six, was curled up on the dusty ground, crying. 

The Force sang around her. 

Cal approached. 

“Little one, where are your parents?” He asked kneeling down as not to spook her. The girl wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head. 

“You don’t know?” The girl sobbed again. Cal offered her a hand.

“Would you like to come with me? It’s better than staying here.” The girl shyly took his hand. 

“What’s your name, little one?”

“Rey.”

** The second was the one with no name.  **

Cal sliced through another battle droid with his lightsaber. 

“BD, open the door!” He called. The little droid chirped an affirmative. 

Cal waited for BD-1 to climb up his back before walking through the door, lightsaber aloft, ready for anything. 

A young boy was clutching a blaster far too big for him, dressed in an overlarge cadet uniform, and terrified. 

“Hey.” Cal said, deactivating his lightsaber, “I’m not going to hurt you, but you need to leave. Can you stand?” The boy shakily pulled himself to his feet. 

“What are you gonna do to me?” 

“Don’t you have any family?” The boy shrugged. 

“What’s your name?” 

“They call me FN-2187.” Cal frowned. BD-1 beeped shrilly. 

“Have to agree with you there, BD. That’s not a name. Tell you what, kid, I’ll call you... Finn.”

** The third was the one no one wanted.  **

“I don’t want the damn kid!” The pirate yelled. The slaver shouted something back in his native tongue. Cal crept closer. A small boy, covered in dirt and grease stood between them. Standing up, Cal made his decision. 

“I’ll take him.” The slaver garbled something. 

“He says the price is-“ the female pirate began to translate. Cal cut her off.

“The price is me not killing you scum where you stand.” Cal drew his lightsaber. The slaver was quick to release the boy’s cuffs and back away. 

“I didn’t need your help.”

“You can borrow my comm, call your parents.” 

“They don’t care about me.” The boy said, crossing his arms. 

“You got any skills?” Cal asked.

“I’m the best pilot in the galaxy.” The boy said arrogantly. 

“Well then, care to join my crew, kiddo?”

“The name’s Poe.”


	3. To Teach is to Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children are the future, and Cal would rather forget the past.

** The first was the sun. **

It was in her name, in her smile, in her will, in the bright glow of the Force that surrounded her.In the warmth of Rey’s eyes, Cal saw hope for the future of the jedi, the future of the galaxy. In the fire of her soul lay the spark that could light a revolution. 

** The second was the boulder.  **

It was in his steady hands, in his unyielding loyalty, in his determination. In Finn’s resolute mind, Cal saw strength, a leader of unmatched prowess. In the iron of his soul lay the foundation of reconstruction. 

** The third was the wind.  **

It was in his hands on the controls, in the joy of his laughter, in his fierce love for his friends. In Poe’s tempestuous spirit, Cal saw resourcefulness, the skills to survive in the face of adversity. In the breath of his soul lay the winds of change, howling into a typhoon.

** It began with the rain. **

It mingled with his tears, soaked through his thin robes, soothed the ache of the burns. The patter of rain births and buries his friends. The rain accompanies his escape, the tears of a thousand deaths clinging to his skin. Rain birthed a warrior, a defender, a teacher.

** They don’t call him master. **

He teaches them the ways of the Force. Rey’s lightsaber shines brightly in the night. Finn’s blaster never misses a shot. Poe’s ship dancesthrough the battlefield unhindered. 

**They carry the legacy of the fallen jedi with them.**


	4. After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up the pieces is the hard part

Even as Cal trains his kids, even as his trauma heals, even as the years pass, her voice echoes in his mind. 

**Avenge us.**

He travels the galaxy, a pouch tied to anecklace holds the crystals of the inquisitors. 

**The hunters have become the hunted.**

He whittles them down, as training, as a protector. No jedi will fall to the inquisition. 

**The bodies rack up.**

He’s cold, calculating. But, no matter how much he hates what he has to do, he still can smile, for his friends, for his family, for the people he has given his heart to. 

**For them, he has become a killer.**

For all his sins, he never touches the darkness.He cannot, in good conscience, call himself a jedi any longer, but he is content to be the silent guardian. 

**He**

**Will**

**Not**

**Falter**


End file.
